Breaking Cutting Barriers: HGTECH Leads a New Era in High-End Wafer Laser Cutting

During high-speed wafer cutting, a large amount of dust particles is often generated. These fine particles can settle on the wafer surface during processing, causing scratches on the dies, which in turn leads to a decline in wafer yield and increased manufacturing costs.

As a crucial process in semiconductor assembly and testing, wafer cutting is primarily used for scribing, singulation, or grooving in microfabrication. The cutting quality and efficiency directly impact chip reliability and production costs. With the increasing demand for higher precision and efficiency in semiconductor manufacturing, traditional cutting methods such as blade dicing face significant limitations, including tool wear, contamination risks, and process instability. These challenges highlight the urgent need for innovative solutions that can enhance both precision and yield while minimizing defects and material waste.

To address this industry challenge, HGTECH launched its high-end wafer laser cutting equipment in June 2023. This solution integrates several proprietary modules, including an automatic coating and cleaning unit, a SEMI-compliant semiconductor wafer handling system, and vision and cutting software designed to align with semiconductor industry standards and communication protocols. Compared to traditional blade cutting, this system improves cutting efficiency by fivefold. By eliminating the mechanical stress and tool wear associated with conventional methods, laser cutting technology not only enhances processing stability but also extends the lifespan of the equipment, significantly reducing operational costs for manufacturers.

In certain high-end wafer cutting applications, neither dust particles generated during cutting nor water-cleaned wafers are acceptable. In August 2023, HGTECH independently developed a new generation of fully automatic wafer laser modification cutting equipment, also known as laser stealth dicing equipment. This technology enables completely dry cutting.

By leveraging its self-developed large-format real-time dynamic focus compensation technology, this equipment effectively addresses the issue of wafer warpage caused by the trend toward thinner and lighter wafers, ensuring processing consistency. Compared to traditional laser cutting and blade cutting, the wafer modification cutting equipment independently developed by HGTECH has doubled cutting precision, reduced heat-affected zones to zero, and controls chipping to within 5 microns, reaching the most advanced level globally. These advancements are particularly critical in cutting-edge semiconductor applications such as advanced packaging, MEMS, and power devices, where precision and defect control are paramount. Furthermore, by adopting an entirely dry-cutting process, the technology eliminates the need for post-processing water cleaning, which not only simplifies production workflows but also reduces environmental impact.

As a high-tech and precision-driven industry, the semiconductor sector features a highly complex and extended supply chain, with long-standing challenges in the security of core component supply chains. To address this, HGTECH has integrated resources at the group level, establishing dedicated teams for industrial software and semiconductor projects through research institute initiatives, fostering cross-functional collaboration. Additionally, the company collaborates with research institutions, adopting an upstream and downstream cooperative model to resolve bottlenecks, constraints, and disruptions in the industrial and supply chains, accelerating the industrialization of high-end wafer laser cutting equipment.This strategic approach ensures that HGTECH remains at the forefront of technological innovation, enhancing the resilience of the domestic semiconductor ecosystem while driving advancements in precision manufacturing.

In Q3 2024, HGTECH upgraded its first-generation high-end wafer laser cutting equipment and launched the second-generation high-end wafer laser cutting system. This new system features significant technological improvements and upgrades in software automation, leveraging HGTECH’s self-developed semiconductor cutting software and algorithms to achieve a 20% increase in overall efficiency.

Currently, HGTECH has developed seven equipment solutions for both front-end and back-end processes in the compound semiconductor sector. Looking ahead, the company will continue to increase investment in innovation, focusing on cutting-edge technology research and industrialization efforts within the compound semiconductor field. HGTECH aims to achieve greater breakthroughs in localization and process performance.With the rapid expansion of applications in power electronics, optoelectronics, and 5G communications, the demand for advanced wafer processing technologies is set to rise. HGTECH remains committed to pushing the boundaries of semiconductor manufacturing, driving the industry toward higher efficiency, lower costs, and superior quality standards.